Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Dances for the First Time Since Losing Her Leg Thanks to High-Tech Prosthetic

April 15, 2013 is a day that will forever be etched in Adrianne Haslet-Davis’ mind, but Wednesday night, she courageously turned tragedy into triumph when she danced publicly for the first time since losing her leg on that fateful day in the Boston Marathon bombings.

The 33-year-old dancer was so passionate about the arts, that she taught twenty different styles of dance at the Arthur Murray Studio in Boston. Thanks to a revolutionary prosthetic limb, she was able to bring her talents back to the stage, performing a short rumba at the TED conference in Vancouver, BC.

Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor, Adrienne Haslet-Davis, dances publicly for the first time since losing her left leg in the blasts at the April 15, 2013 RaceCourtesy of AP

Adrianne, along with her husband Adam Davis, an Air Force captain, were both injured that somber day along with 250 other runners and spectators. The dance instructor ending up losing part of her left leg in the blasts. Three lives were tragically taken that day.

During Adrienne’s recovery and rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, she was introduced to Hugh Herr, director of the Biomechatronics research group at MIT. Herr was very optimistic about Adrienne being able to dance again and made it his mission to see her through the experience. Both Adrienne and Kerr were highly motivated to make this a reality, as she made a promise to herself that she would perform again. Mashable

Kerr felt a special kinship with Adriennce as he had first-hand knowledge of what she was experiencing. Kerr himself is a double amputee as a result of a rock climbing accident in 1982, and he created the bombings survivor this revolutionary prosthetic leg that was specifically fashioned for dance.

“The value of carefully modeling normal human function is that when you fit the device to the human, {she} already knows it,” Herr said. “Patients often say ‘I have my body back.’ ”

According to Kerr, Adrienne still has a long road ahead of her before her limb allows her to return to the daily routine she had prior to the bombings. This is due to the fact that she must constantly switch out her leg depending on her various activities. “You can have multiple legs for multiple uses,” Adrienne said.

However, Kerr is optimistic that one day she will be able to finish her dance and immediately start walking without interruption.

“We’ve taken the first step,” he said. “But by no means is it the last.”

At the conference on Wednesday, Adrienne’s debuted the leg dancing to an Enrique Iglesias tune, “Ring My Bells”. She performed with dance partner Christian Lightner. Her tears of joy after her performance spoke volumes.

Adrianne is a true inspiration to us all.

Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Dances for the First Time Since Losing Her Leg Thanks to High-Tech Prosthetic